Being proactive and taking a few simple steps can help you protect yourself from becoming a victim.

• Never provide your password, credit or debit card information or pin number over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request unless you initiated the contact.

• Urgent appeals to act now should be resisted. Thieves often try to get you to act quickly before you have a chance to think about what you may be doing.

• Review your statements when you get them. You can also always review your accounts in real time using internet banking. If you see a transaction you cannot explain contact us immediately.

• Contact the bank and ask to receive your statements electronically. Not only are you helping the environment, but you are keeping the paper statements out of your mailbox where they could be stolen and used to steal your identity.

• Don’t agree to deposit money from someone you don’t know into your account and then wire the money back or to someone else you don’t know. Wires are like sending cash, once they have been sent you can’t get your money back.

• Business customers should consider performing their own risk assessment and controls evaluation periodically to determine if additional controls are necessary to address the risks of online banking. Additional information to assist you in completing this process can be found on our Helpful Resources Page.

Remember: Farmers Bank will never contact you via unsolicited phone calls, emails, text messages, or over any other mediums to request your online banking credentials or personal information. As your bank we already have that information on file and will therefore never request such information. If you ever question the legitimacy of a request for your information you should contact the bank on your own to verify the request.